The Potter's Ghosts
by Tiffany Smithi
Summary: The Potters are anxious as to the care of one Harry Potter. All magical people who die are given the choice to remain as ghosts. Those who have children living at the time they died - if those children are underage - are given very special circumstances (summary isn't nearly as good as it could be). Discontinued.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

THE POTTER'S GHOSTS

CHAPTER 1: PROLOGUE

 **Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. I don't like making up spells and things, so unless I say so, it's all from canon.** _ **Summary is first paragraph of the story.**_

The circumstances are different in each case. The Potters got the option to watch what went on for two weeks with nobody knowing it, so that they could observe. If they liked what they had seen, after two weeks they would have a meeting with Death to be told everything so they didn't accidentally get left behind forever. If they chose to become ghosts, they would go back to the moment of their deaths.

James and Lily Potter are angry. _Very_ angry. And anyone who knew Lily would say, ' _Never_ , under any circumstances, get Lily Potter angry - at least not with you'. Of course, anyone who knew her would also give you the loudest applause you could imagine if you managed to turn that ire onto any attacking Death Eaters. Anyone who knew James would say, 'Watch out, or you'll have yourself hung upside down in a crowded area!' Now, this might not be that bad for you and I, but to the Wizarding World it would be the height of embarrassment, as they all wore robes for everday, school, and formal occasions. It is, you could say, the general fashion of the Wizarding World. And the Wizarding World rarely changes that which has been the same for a long time. They also very rarely wore anything underneath, unless they had been raised by Muggles. Anyway - James and Lily Potter were very angry with what they saw in their two weeks. After they told Death that they'd take the two weeks, they gaped openmouthed at the folly of the rest of the Wizarding World.

"Merlin," James howled. "How does Harry survive the Killing Curse? Not to mention the rest of the wizards are celebrating like fools!" (James had matured a lot with the revelation of the prophecy and knowing it was _his_ son targeted. Oh and he had died. That usually helps)

Lily liked ranting also, even thought the only people who could hear her were her and James. It helped a bit. She also wanted to be calmed down by the time they corrected everyone.

"It's not like Voldemort ever took part in the raids very often," she fumed. "With his followers still at large, they could be continuing their attacks, for all anyone knows."

"Merlin, Sirius, don't get yourself kill - er - sent to Azkaban!" James snarled. "And Peter...I'll talk to Peter,"

"Noticed that any Death Eaters captured before Voldemort's downfall stood staunchly in support of him, but now every single one is pleading Imperius?" James asked. "Is there not even one at least _competent_ buffoon in the Ministry? Aside from the Aurors?" Lily asked stiffly, a bit later.

"Dumbledore, you utter fool!" She yelled. "Don't put Harry there! He'll be abused and what not!"

"There goes Alice," Lily sniffed. "Not dead - just incapacitated. They don't even get the same chance we do!" She burst into tears.

"There, there, Lily. I know it might not be all that kind, but it's okay to wish them... not like that. I'm sure they'd love to have the chance we do. But we came back exactly as we were, save for the experience of dying, and so I'm not even entirely sure whether it would help or not."

"James," Lily said, after a moment, looking up. "I was sent to Askaban once, to oversee a prisoner getting Kissed. I-I didn't witness it, but the behaviour of Frank and Alice is just like that prisoner. They might have passed on, but are unable to come back as ghosts - that is one of the ghost laws, your spirit can't become a ghost until your body is dead. We'd have to convince sombody to... let their bodies die... and they wouldn't do it. Not without knowing for certain. _We_ don't know for certain."

"It's okay, Lily. The only drawback to ghosts being guardians for an infant is their inability to do anything, we'd need a living executor. Sirius will do fine. Remus too."

"Remus?" James called, as Remus seemed to deflate as he heard the news of the Potters and Peter's death and Sirius betrayal. "Moony?" he turned to Lily. "Is that how he grieves? Sure he offered to take care of Harry, but didn't push it much. I don't hold it against him, but he's acting so _odd_."

"Grief does that," Lily said softly.

"And we never told Remus or anyone of them about Peter being the Secret-Keeper, and they're giving him a posthmous _Order of Merlin, First Class_."

"It's... he'll snap out of it, James." Lily said softly.

"No... no he won't. Not without someone waking him up," James said miserably.

"Won't us being ghosts do that well enough? I mean, we're still _us_."

"Maybe."

"Look at that headline!" James spat.

 _ **The Infant Wonder!**_

 _In the dreadful events of Lily and James Potter's deaths, has it_  
 _occurred to anyone that their son, Harry, not only survived the Killing_  
 _Curse, but reflected said curse back at You-Know-Who? For that he_  
 _did._

The article went on to describe how they supposed it had happened, using the title _the Boy-Who-Lived_ far too often for the Potter parents liking.

Altogether, there was no decision to be made whether they would become ghosts or stay as they were. Well, nearly none.

"James, not too quickly!" Lily said, exasperated. "We don't even know if we'll stay forever! I mean, I, for one, don't want to stay as a ghost when Harry finally dies - of old age, I hope - I mean, I wouldn't want to stick with him his whole life and then giving Harry the same choice we have - watching over his kids or going on to no relatives except grandparents?"

"Fine, we'll see what Death has to say," James grumbled.

"You _must stay_ as ghosts until your child either dies comes of an to be morally and physically responsible for himself. Not the coming-of-age the Ministry decrees, but what the Fates decree. I am Death, and there is also Chance and Luck and Fate, there is one that rules over prophecies, although I don't know her name. You could call us gods and godesses, but it doesn't really work that way. Either way, you will get the chioce to come back to being dead at that time. If you wish to stay past the child's being of age, you may, and you can come back whenever you please. You have the choice to stay after your child dies, before or after he is of age to take care of himself, but either one results in your special circumstances being rescinded, as you wouldn't have a child to care for anymore. You can come speak to me at any time - you won't be hovering as ghosts for that exact point in time, but you will be able to flick back and forth to get my advice. You will be able to pick a couple people to converse with - say if you knew the parents of another child that died, and wish to tell the child how proud the parents are or somthing. Any questions?"

"One or two. What happened to Frank and Alice Longbottom? Their bodies didn't die, but did their souls move on?"

"Yes, they did. But as long as their bodies live, they cannot become ghosts."

"Okay. I want those two to be put on our commumication list."

"Any other questions?"

"We saw Peter Pettigrew blow himself up. Is he dead, or did he fake it?"

"He did not fake it, no."

"Thanks for telling us. Do we have a method to track people down if need be?"

"Anyone you had an aquaintance with in life, you will be able to locate as easily as an owl delivers mail, only easier, since your owl-redirection charms won't work on ghosts."

"We won't have any sort of physical manifestation, will we?" James asked. "I mean, we wouldn't be able to feed a child since we're just ghosts?"

"Quite right," Death replied. "You would need outside help. There are circumstances in which you would be allowed that rare luxury, such as if everyone you knew was dead or if you knew you would have no chance convincing them to help, but that is not the case."

"Thank you for your help, Death," James said. "We would like to be able to communicate with Frank and Alice Longbottom, and my father, Charlus Potter. That's all the people we can have on the list, right?"

"Yes. But the people you can communicate with can also bring you messages from other dead people, so you will not be entirely cut off."

"Thank you. We will become ghosts under the Special Circumstances, Death."

"There you go," Death said, waving his hand. James and Lily Potter faded from the realm of the dead, and hovered, as ghosts, in between.


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting the Longbottoms

THE POTTER'S GHOSTS

CHAPTER 2

* * *

 **Disclaimer in the first chapter applies to the whole story unless I decide to invent a character, in which case I will tell which one it is.**

* * *

Hagrid entered the Potter cottage weeping loudly. Dumbledore had sent him to see if he could find out why the self-styled 'Lord' Voldemort had vanished. Hagrid couldn't stand the sight of James Potter's body. It just looked _so_ lifeless.

While Hagrid was doing this, James facepalmed. "Lily, we didn't need to hold ghost-to-death communication with the Longbottoms because they aren't dead yet, and they won't die!"

"We can't think of everything, dear," Lily replied absently.

Hagrid opened the door to Harry's room and was so shocked he forgot to cry at the sight of Lily's body. There was Harry, happily giggling at two ghosts. Hagrid fainted and fell on the floor with a thump.

"Well _that_ makes Operation: Get Harry Safe a ton easier," James observed. "Now we just have to convince Sirius to let the Longbottoms have him. And to stay in hiding."

Five minutes later, Sirius pushed open the door and stopped so fast he fell on his face.

"Merlin, Sirius, you're not even Muggle-born! Don't tell me you've never seen a ghosts before!" Lily demanded.

"W-well Hagrid fainted! That shows just how extraordinary it is!" Sirius protested, laughing nervously.

"Padfoot." James sighed wearily. "We're James and Lily, not 500-year-old ghosts who get offended at the slightest mention of their being dead."

"Normal!" Sirius shrieked. "Normal! You're dead, and ghosts, Peter's a traitor, and Moony's freaking out the moment it all happened because of crazy werewolf senses even though he hasn't got a clue in hell of what's going on! I've got no reason to start acting normal till all of you do!"

"Well in this case, normal is dead," Lily said dryly.

"I - well I don't want you dead," Sirius stammered, "I-I just want everything to be _normal_. Like, back when we were in Hogwarts and didn't know much about the war yet," he moaned at last.

"Well, we can work on that. At the moment, Hagrid's here to take Harry to my sister's house, but I'm not letting that happen." Lily said. "Take him to the Longbottom's for now, and tell them they need to stay in hiding, there's still Death Eaters around. Remus needs to be calmed down, told we're ghosts before we come in or he'll do somthing crazy."

At the mention of anyone taking Harry anywhere, Sirius hurried over and picked Harry out of his crib. "To the Longbottom's, you said?" he checked, then popped away.

Lily and James looked at each other.

"I'll speak to the Longbottoms," Lily said. "And you can't talk to Remus yet, he'll fall on his face. Go talk to Dumbledore. He doesn't know we're ghosts yet, besides he deserves the shock. It won't kill him."

"You know best, Lily," James said.

They both floated off in opposite directions.

Sirius had been told the secret of the Longbottom's residence (Longbottom Hall). He popped over right away and knocked on the gate nervously. He knew that, as a fake Secret-Keeper, suspicion would fall upon him immediatly for the Potters' deaths. He thanked Merlin that they'd come back as ghosts, or even Dumbledore would have turned on him. Plus he'd have gone to Azkaban anyway for killing Peter. He knew he would have if Lily hadn't told him not to.

Frank Longbottom came out warily and let Sirius in. "Why are you holding Harry?" he asked curiously.

"Potter's were attacked, James and Lily's ghosts told me to bring Harry here and tell you don't come out of hiding, there's still Death Eaters around," Sirius said breathlessly.

Of course, every word of that could have been an attack of some sort, Frank mused. Sirius _was_ (or had been) the Secret Keeper. The Potters having become ghosts was probably faked, don't come out of hiding so nobody knows you murdered us, Death Eaters to hide that fact. He pulled out his wand.

Sirius didn't notice that.

"You were the Secret Keeper," Frank said.

"No - " said Sirius looking up quickly.

"Leave him alone Frank," said Lily, drifting through the wall. "It was Peter."

"I see," Frank said, stowing his wand away. "Sorry, Sirius."

"It's all aright, was honestly expecting that one," Sirius mumbled absently.

"Frank, who - " called a voice from the doorway. It was Alice Longbottom. "Oh. Wait, is that a ghost? Lily! you can't be dead! Tell me you're not dead!"

"Sorry, Alice. Peter decided to turn traitor is all," Lily said with forced lightness.

"Peter? But Sirius - "

"He was a decoy. turns out Peter's a traitor. Maybe even a Death Eater."

"Oh Lily!"

"I'm fine, Alice. The only thing you could do is watch Harry. And don't come out of hiding, there's still Death Eaters out and about."

"Thanks for reminding us, Lily," said Frank dryly. "Would have totally slipped my mind."

"It would've. We - me and James - know everything that would have happened in the next two weeks if we hadn't come back as ghosts. You two ended up in St. Mungo's indefinitly after being held under the Cruciatus by the Lestranges and Crouch Jr for a _long_ time (didn't even recognize Neville!) and Neville was raised by Augusta."

Frank winced. "Glad you came back then."

"More for Harry than anything else, Dumbledore put him with my sister," Lily grimaced.

"Ouch." Alice, who was Lily's best friend, had been told numerous stories about Petunia, and probably knew what would've happened better than Lily, thanks to not having any familial prejudice. "Of course we'll take care of him, Lily. Him and Neville can grow up together," she said warmly.

"Thank you Alice!" cried Lily, moving to hug her.

"Lily don't!" Alice cried in alarm. "You're a ghost now!"

"Oh. Right." Lily said with a shudder. "Thanks for reminding me. But now, I need to join James and give Dumbledore a good shock and a talking-to. Too bad ghosts can't Apparate."

"Maybe Side-Along Apparition would work?" Alice mused.

"No harm trying!" Lily said cheerfuly. "Only problem is, I'm a ghost now. Just a moment, let me ask Death." she disappeared.

"Ask Death?" Frank said blankly.

"No idea.

"Death says I can Apparate on my own!" Lily said, startling them.

"What do you mean, Death?"

"Ghosts can communicate with Death. We're not normal ghosts. We don't stick around forever, we can go back when Harry dies - of old age, hopefully - and we have other benefits, like communicating with people who are dead - only a few, but those few can communicate with everyone else and relay messages - and we can ask Death for advice or information."

"That is so cool!" Alice cried.

"It is. Now I need to yell at Dumbledore and tell James to Apparate. See you!" Lily disappeared.

"She just does it, doesn't need to spin or crack or anything," Frank said, half envious, half admiring.

"Yes, it would be rather nice," Alice agreed.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

How do you all like my story? After posting my first chapter, I got a flood of likes, follows and a few reviews, too! Thanks for supporting me, positive reviews and well-thought-out questions make my day!


	3. Chapter 3: Meeting Dumbledore

THE POTTER'S GHOSTS

CHAPTER 3: MEETING DUMBLEDORE

* * *

Lily Apparated to James and told him him what Death had told her.

"Lovely," James responded, delighted. "To Hogwarts, then?"

"To the gates!" Lily agreed.

The both disappeared without a sound and reappeared at the gates of Hogwarts. They went in to the Headmaster's office.

"Lily, how much do you think ghosts could help the Order?"

"Well, we can't help in battle, aside from going through them, which admittedly would provide a nice distraction, but we can spy." Lily theorized. "I mean we wouldn't register on any stealth detectors or _Homenum Revelio_ and ghosts can be invisible - it's an innate trait - so I'd say we hang around Voldemort's headquarters and listen in - I mean, I'd say we have enough acquaintance with him to find where he is - the only reason not to is that it would most likely blow Sev's cover."

"Is there any spell to harm a ghost?"

"There is one spell to force it to pass on, but that doesn't work on us because we came back as special ghosts, not your everyday sort."

"That's neat! We'll be untouchable!"

"Well that's the price of dying, I personally am glad I don't have to do it over."

"It didn't _hurt_ , it was just dreadful knowing that you're _dying_ and there's nothing you can do about it," James argued.

"Well it really doesn't matter, as Voldemort's gone anyway. I think you got up the stairs as a ghost in time to see that?"

"No...the curse rebounded off of Harry and hit Voldemort. Only thing is, he didn't collapse dead. A black mist escaped and hissed at Harry before going out the wall."

"We should talk to Dumbledore about that." Lily mused.

"Well, we're here. Now lets yell at Dumbledore." James grinned evilly. "Best prank in the world."

Lily tried to smack James, but her hand passed through him. "Merlin, we're transparent to ourselves as well!"

"Not much we can do about that," James decided. "Let's not knock. It will - "

"No. If we do knock, he'll think it's a student or somthing and say come in. He'll be startled out of his seat!"

"We _can't_ knock anyway, Lily. See?" James demonstrated on the wall.

"Oh. Ok. Well if we can't do that, at least go invisible and float through him?"

"Good idea."

So they turned invisible. It really didn't take any more than a thought, just like James' Animagus transformation. He briefly wondered if he still had that form, and would it look like a Patronus? They drifted into Dumbledore's office and went through him. He startled up and glanced around, before James and Lily became visible again, sitting in the chairs his office contained. Dumbledore blinked a few times before regaining his composure.

"It is not every day that old friends drop by as ghosts and give an old man a heart attack." Dumbledore said in a tone full of laughter, but his eyes no longer held their customary twinkle.

"It's not everyday you're dead, Albus, or that your own son survives the Killing Curse. He'll be famous for it, Dumbledore, but that's one thing I don't want him to be famous for." James replied.

Dumbledore blinked again.

"How is Harry? Do tell me you didn't leave him in Godric's Hollow?"

"Of course not. Sirius and Lily brought him to the Longbottoms."

"Sirius?"

"Yes, why not?" James responded irritably. "The Longbottoms can look after him, he'll be happy with Neville."

"But Sirius Black is the Secret Keeper! He obviosuly betrayed you!"

"Never crossed your mind he might be a decoy?" James growled. "Do I have to explain this to _everybody_?"

Dumbledore blinked again.

"Look, Albus," Lily explained patiently, "Sirius thought he was way to obvious of a target. So we switched to Peter and didn't tell anyone."

"I see. Why did you tell the Longbottoms to remain in hiding? Voldemort is gone."

"The Death Eaters aren't! Look, when we considered becoming ghosts, Death let us have two weeks so that we could know if we really did want to. And listen here, Albus, _never send Harry to live with Petunia!_ "

"Why on earth _not_?"

"Because she'll abuse him. I know two weeks is him being too young to judge, but the whole time she was loudly moaning and complaining about having _two_ boys to look after and how she should be devoting all her time to her Dudders and leaving Harry on his own unless he needed feeding or a diaper change!"

"Lily - "

"Don't 'Lily' me!"

"Albus, you might want to run. She might be a ghost but there's no stopping her now," James advised. "And Lily, calm down and tell him all what we saw."

"Fine, fine." Lily grumbled. "The Longbottoms were tortured into insanity by the Lestranges and Barty Crouch - "

"Crouch?"

" - let me finish? - Jr. And Sirius was sent to Azkaban with no trial. And Crouch never made it to Minister, he was discredited by his son being a Death Eater. "

"Now, me and Lily supposed that, as ghosts, we could help out the Order some. We can got invisible, and - here's the scoop - we can locate anyone we knew while living. We could locate Voldemort's headquarters."

"Tell him what you saw with Harry," Lily whispered.

"Right. Well at least I didn't have to see Lily dying, but I saw Voldemort die. It didn't look like it though. A very dark, dense mist rose from the body and hissed at Harry before drifting out through the walls."

Dumbledore blinked again. Slowly. "Thank you for this information, it could mean very Dark things indeed..." he trailed off, muttering to himself.

"We'll go then," said Lily brightly, and then she disappeared. James followed.

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

How do you like the third instalment of _The Potter's Ghosts_? I don't know what spurred Dumbledore to begin researching Tom Riddle's history in canon, but I do know that he never knew what he was looking for untl a) Harry got him Slughorn's memory or b) Harry gave him the diary at the end of his second year. This'll speed that up.


	4. Chapter 4: Sorry, I'm taking a month off

I am so sorry everybody, but I am taking a month off of electonics. I will be writing it down by hand the whole time, so I will have a plethora of chapters up and ready for you at the end of the month! A lot of my stories will have a number of chapers added to them in one month's time, I will not be checking reviews, PMs, likes, favorites, and I will be generally inactive to everything. I will be a while catching up, but I will be back. Don't worry!


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